Construction Chief Resigns
Fast-track preparations for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics have a new boss.
Sergey Gaplikov was selected aspresident of the state corporation "Olympstroy" on Monday following the resignation of Taimuraz Bolloev, supposedly for health reasons.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered the changes.
Taimuraz Bolloev is the third man to quit the top post since November 2007.
Bolloev stepped down as president of Olympstroy, the body overseeing Olympic venues and infrastructure work, just 18 months after taking up the position.His predecessor Viktor Kolodyazhny was only in the job 14 months; the head of the state-controlled entity before him lasted less than six months.
The changes could spark concerns that the construction schedule for the construction effort is lagging behind schedule. Most Olympic venues are being built from scratch; Russia is charged with delivering 250 Olympic-related venues and infrastructure projects.
Russian media reports also point to a rocketing construction budget
.
With just two weeks until the first test events in Sochi and only seven weeks before the IOC holds its twice-yearly inspection of preparations in the Black Sea resort, the chanes may come at a difficult time for the Sochi 2014 project.
Sochi officials will test the recently-completed Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort with the Alpine FIS Europa Cup for men from Feb. 15-18 and the women's event Feb. 22-26.
The IOC Coordination Commission chaired by Jean-Claude Killy visits March 22 to 24.
Both Sochi 2014 and the IOC declined to comment on Bolloev's resignation today.
Russia Increases Games Security Budget
The Russian government has pledged to invest about $2 billionto deliver a safe Games.
The announcement Monday comes in the wake of the suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo last week that killed 35 people and injured scores of people.
Last week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said ensuring a safe and secure Olympics was a top priority and claimed terrorism was the most serious threat facing Russia.
Medvedev has so far declined to give details on where the security budget will be spent. But it is thought some of it will be invested in anti-terrorist measures, with special emphasis on targeting militants in the North Caucasus region who are suspected of staging the bomb attack.
By comparison, $720 million was spent on security for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
Written by Mark Bisson
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